The following was sent to Valley News Group from the owners of the Woodland Hills Country Club in response to the City’s ruling last week that the project does not qualify for ministerial approval per new state laws.
The City of Los Angeles today issued a ‘“Determination of Ineligibility” to the proposer of a 398 home, mixed-income project, that would replace a portion of the Woodland Hills Country Club. The project, proposed under the State of California’s Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act (AB2011), is specifically designed to help address Los Angeles’ acknowledged housing affordability crisis. The City’s “Determination” is based on the false assertion that the active golf course, in the middle of a residential neighborhood, is habitat for mountain lions.
“Today’s letter from the City is an affront to Angelenos who are in desperate need of real housing opportunities,” said Aaron Green, project spokesperson. “I’ve heard some creative excuses for blocking housing in Los Angeles, but golfing mountain lions may take the prize.”
The proposed housing project at 4868 Canoga Avenue (woodlandhillsproject.com) would deliver 175 for-sale single-family homes, 27 of which will be restricted to low-income households, 223 for rent dwelling units across three low-rise buildings, 34 of which would be rent-restricted apartments for low income households, along with 837 parking spaces.
Built around principles of environmental sustainability, wildfire prevention, and housing affordability, the project, which will also create local construction jobs paying a prevailing wage, seeks to deliver real housing solutions on a private golf course that uses millions of gallons of water annually and provides little benefit to the broader community.
In response to the City’s initial feedback that the golf course may also be habitat for mountain lions, the project applicant conferred with numerous experts. The project’s technical consultants all came to the same conclusion, that the project site is not a protected biological habitat.
“The City has left us with no choice but to file a lawsuit to enforce the law. Consequences for today’s actions are clear: when the City loses in court, it will be required to approve the project and pay millions of dollars in fines, with up to 20 million dollars in fines as a repeat offender of State housing law, under AB 712. The only outcome here is that taxpayers will be on the hook for millions of dollars in legal penalties, and Angelenos will have to wait longer to move into their new homes,” concluded Green.
